Which to use
“patten” and “pattern” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,358
- “patten” frequency rank
- #2,691
- “pattern” frequency rank
- 36049
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | patten | pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Any of various types of footwear with thick soles, often used to elevate the foot, especially wooden clogs. | Model, example. |
Where the eye mixes patten and pattern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. patten (/ˈpat(ə)n/) and pattern (/ˈpæ̞t(ə)n/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36049, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
patten is recorded at frequency rank #33,358, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpat(ə)n/. pattern is at rank #2,691, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpæ̞t(ə)n/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 36049, this pair ranks #306,622 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of patten vs pattern
Shared letters: aenpt. Private to "patten": -. Private to "pattern": r.
"patten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "pattern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "patten" and "pattern" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "patten" or "pattern"?
What to do next
You've compared "patten" and "pattern". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "patten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pattern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #306,622 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "patten" and "pattern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Paton vs patten". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.